Snakes and heart! S.A. starts strong on satisfying ‘Talent’ premiere

San Antonio delivered two strong – and wildly different – acts on the season premiere of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”

Tuesday’s show opened with WOAI’s Shelly Miles – great gig, girl! — announcing that thousands in San Antonio had auditioned for the show. Then, after lots of footage played of the four celebrity judges visiting with local fans, we were taken inside the Lila Cockrell Theatre.

Nick Cannon boomed “San Antonio!” to the studio audience and judge Howard Stern declared: “I have a feeling the winner of this year’s ‘America’s Got Talent’ is going to come from San Antonio.”

First up: David “The Cobra Kid” Weathers, who flirted with danger…and an angry rattlesnake. We saw medics standing by with plenty of anti-venom, as Weathers described how he was paralyzed for days and almost died from a previous bite.

The judges looked worried as the man opened his wooden case, stirred up the snake inside and lifted him onto the box. Blowing up a balloon, he stared at the creature, waiting for it to strike. It did, ferociously, popping the balloon in Weathers’ mouth. The crowd went from tensely silent to up-on-their-feet wild.

“This is the kind of nail-biting, on the edge of your seat, scary thing that I like,” a breathless Mel B said. “I’m glad you’re alive, I’m glad the snake is back in the box and I can’t wait to see what you do next.”

“That was real danger, no kidding around!” Stern added, before all four judges passed Weathers through to the next round in Vegas.

Up next: Marty Brown, a plain country crooner in a crumpled cowboy hat who makes his living as a carpenter, chatted with his loving wife about being a bit nervous. When he finally made it onto the stage with his guitar, he delivered a tender and pitch-perfect rendition of Bob Dylan song, “Make You Feel My Love,” as his wife wept on the sidelines.

He charmed the judges and studio audience, just as he regularly charms his sweet wife when he sings to her in the kitchen at home. “You are a great undiscovered treasure,” Stern said. “You’ve taught us something tonight,” Howie Mandel added. “Don’t judge a book by its cover. You’re amazing.”

OK, granted neither act actually hails from San Antonio. The snake handler is from Florida and the singer from Kentucky. But the show teased many more acts from San Antonio’s auditions. Hopefully, one or two actual Alamo City talents will be among those showcased on future episodes.
Meanwhile, the rest of “AGT’s” two-hour premiere was filled with amusement and more than a few incredible performers. In New York, we heard a 10-year-old girl named Anna Christine play the piano and belt a bluesy version of “House of the Rising Sun” that made her seem way beyond her years. The judges were delighted. Also in the Big Apple, an illusionist dance group, Catapult Entertainment, performed amazing moves in the dark, using their bodies to create shadow pictures: a mountain, a house, even a helicopter. It was amazing; the judges thought so as well.

In Los Angeles, a 42-year-old wife and mom named Angela Hoover did something you don’t often see from a comedienne: She delivered impressions of celebrities – Celine Dion, Drew Barrymore and Kristin Chenowith – that not only were, well, impressive, but really funny. The judges were pleased, particularly Mel B, who said she loved Hoover — and was all about “the girl power.”

What a cool first night! “America’s Got Talent,” now in its eighth season, continues to be one of the most entertaining and likable competition shows on TV.

That’s because, despite adding glamour girls Heidi Klum and “Scary Spice” to its judging panel, it remains a show that’s not about the judges, but about the talent.

Even when Stern or Mandel lets loose a tasty one-liner or two – such as the former’s warning to Klum that if she got bitten by that snake, he would personally suck the venom out of her – they do it to play off or play up the act at hand, rather than just to bring attention to themselves.

Other such shows on TV – are you listening, “American Idol”? – would do well to take a clue from NBC’s summer hit and alter their own focus before it’s too late.